Welcome

Welcome to my Marquetry Matters website. I have made a few changes to its layout over the past months. Essentially I have removed the BLOG aspect, leaving just a standard looking website where hopefully you can browse the pages and learn about me and my passion for this creative and artistic medium. I have studied, practiced, taught, lectured and written about this amazing craft for the past 26 years. Little did I realise back in 1990 (at the age of 51), when I begun this journey, that I would still be as enthusiastic and motivated to learn more. Designing websites and filming and editing marquetry work is a new venture for me, but one I relish. The old adage that ‘your never too old to learn’ will, I trust, continue into the distant future.

My beloved county of Yorkshire provides the perfect base to live, and I’m surrounded by beautiful countryside and attractive modern cities where I can fulfil my varied interests. Apart from my passion for marquetry, I relish the challenges of researching, teaching and writing about the medium. In addition I love, music – all types, theatre – preferably musical, and most team sports – football, rugby and cricket in particular. My home teams happen to be currently enjoying winning ways. Long may it continue.

You will soon see within the pages of this site that my real passion is 18th century classic marquetry as applied to furniture. In particular that performed by Thomas Chippendale, who, like myself, was born in the county of Yorkshire. After enjoying the success of my first book The Marquetry Course, which covers some of the images introduced by Chippendale, I have spent the past 20 years researching his collection of marquetry commissions. My second book “Chippendale’s classic marquetry revealed” will, when complete, form a major study into the tools, techniques and timbers he used to build those timeless images. Every known marquetry commission made by the great man is included, with technical information to the marquetry construction. My target for publishing the book is 2018, which happens to be Chippendale’s tercentenary. Major exhibitions are now in the advanced planning stages to celebrate the event and display his furniture.

Contacts

Through the many associations I am involved with, both in marquetry and furniture history circles, I now have a breadth of contacts, ranging from marqueteurs, conservators and restorers, to historians, curators and furniture collectors. These spread throughout the Uk, Europe and the USA.

If you like what you see and read on the pages of this site, then please press the link buttons below and spread the word, so your friends can enjoy also.

I have built a corner, which allows you to talk to me and pose questions that may benefit us both, so please click on the Contact button and feel free to email me. Only I see your message/enquiry.